Tube flaring tool



May 17, 1938.

, TUBE FLARNG TOOL y -Filed Oct. 14l 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet l j F03/ d. COPP/GAN BY. I l

ATTORNEY-5 J. QRRIGAN `'2,117,543

May 17, 1938.; R. J. coRRlGAN 2,117,543

` TUBE FLARING TOOL Filed oct. 14, 1955 s sheets-sheet 2 W /Q' INV ENT OR. foyv d CORR/GAN May 17, 1938. R. `).coRl-QIGANl TUBE FLARING TOOL 3 Shee'bS-SheeiI 5 `Filed Oct. 14, 1955 f /fzf 52 70 7/ INVENTOR. For c/ COPP/GAN 7u-uffa ATTORNEYS.

Patented AMay 11, 193s 2,117,543

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TUBE FLARING TOOL Roy J. Corrigan, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Bundy Tubing Company, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application October 14, 1935, Serial No. 44,946

7 Claims. (C1. 153-79) 'Ihis invention relates to a tube aring tool lhas been rocked, and also illustrating the mountand is particularly related to a tube aring tool ing for the lever. for use in service shops or repair shops or the Fig. 6 is a View similar to Figs. 4 and 5 illusllke. trating the ilnal position of the parts in one op- 'Ihe invention is directed to the provision of eration of the flaring of the end of a tube. 5

a tool which may be used in repairing or replac- Fig. '7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 largely in crossing tube lines in automotive vehicles, although, section showing the punch reversed and the comobviously, the tool is not limited to such use. As pletion of the flaring operation.

is well known to those skilled in the art, auto- Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the die members. 10 motive vehicles, including both passenger cars Fig. 9 is an enlarged side view of the punch. 10 and commercial vehicles, are equipped with vari Fig. 10 is a View partly in section illustrating ous tube lines for gasoline, oil and the like, and a tube locating element which may be used with also tubing is now extensively used for hydraulic the tool. o brakes of such vehicles. Such tubing is relatively 'I'he tool, as shown herein, comprises a base I, l5 small in diameter and in many cases the connecand it may be equipped with apertures 2 so that 15 tion at the end of a tube line is made by means it may be bolted down upon a work bench or the of a ilare on the end of the tube which cooperates like. At one end the base has an upstanding part with a suitable coupling. e 3 fashioned to form a groove having a wall l and The principal object of the invention is to proan opposing part 5. A clamp-screw 6 is threaded vide a tool of simple rugged construction advantain the part 5 and it may have a head 1 for the reo geously arranged to be operated by hand and ception of a wrench or lthe like. The end of the which is so designed that the same can be used clamp-Screw iS reduced, aS ShOWI! at 3. and PVO- for Haring tubing of various sizes. In this conally fitted relatively loosely in an aperture!! of nection the tool embodies punch and die elements a clamping block l0. The reduced end 0f the 2,-, which are readily removable, and the user of such screw may have an annular groove I I therein and a tool may have a set of such punch and die elea cross pin I2, which is carried by the clamping ments for handling various sizes of tube. To this block, ts into the groove to hold the block and end the dies may be and preferably are of such screw in assembly. The head of the screw may construction that each die, which, as shown herebe formed in any manner for turning the same, in, comprises two die elements, may be used in other than having a square head; as for example, 30 two different positions for accommodating two a turning handle may be permanently attached diierent sizes of tube. to the end of the screw.

A further object is the provision of a tool in Die members are arranged to be held clamped which a large leverage advantage is obtained between the wall 4 and the clamping block I0.

where the tool is hand operated, to the end that A pair 0f Such die members are ShOWn if! Fig- 3. 35

the flare may be efciently formed. This is ac- Each die member has a body l5 grooved as at complished by a lever mounting in which the I6. The grOOVeS eeh have en enlarged part l'l leverage advantage increases during operation of which cooperate to form a die. Also, each die the tool, with the advantage substantially at its member has a shoulder I8. The same reference 40 greatest point when the most pressure is needed. characters are applied G0 each die member eS they 40 Other objects of the invention will become apare the same, except that they are arranged in parent as the detailed description progresses in rights and lefts. In the form shown each die connection with the accompanying drawings. member has a second groove I9 and enlargement Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of the tool show- 20. The gIOOVeS IT are designed t0 take One Size ing one position of the operating lever in dotted of tube and the grooves I9 ere designed to take 45 lines. another size of tube.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substan- Ihe dies are placed in the channel of the memtally on line 2-2 of Fig. 1. ber 3, as illustrated inlFigs. 2 and 3, with the tube, Fig. 3 is a cross-sectionalview taken on line shown at 25, between the dies. The grooves for 3-3 of Fig. 1. taking a particular size of tube are preferably 50 Fig. 4 is an enlarged View principally in crossslightly under size as regards the tube so that section showing the tool, punch, die and tube in when the dies are clamped in position by the position ready for operation. clamping block I 0 the tube is tightly held so that Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 illustrating the it will not move longitudinally. The engaging position of the parts after the operating lever face of the clamping block is preferably backed 55 away, as shown at 23, leaving engaging faces 21 so that the'die member in contact therewith is are held from moving away from the ram as the ram approaches the same. (Figs. 4 and 5.)

The opposite end of the .tool has an upstanding part 30 which has a bore therein in which is positioned a bushing 3|, and in the bushing is positioned a ram 32. 'Ihe ram is provided with a recess in one end, as shown at 33. The part 30 has two rearwardly extending parts 35. An operating lever 36 has bifurcated parts 31 fitting over one end of the ram which is milled to have flat surfaces. This milled end of the ram is shown at 38, and the lever is pivoted thereto by a pin 46, the am and bifurcated parts of the lever having apertures for this purpose. A pair of links 4| are positioned just withinthe projecting members and are fulcrumed on pins 42, These pins are preferably non-rotatably carried by the parts 35, as by means of a tight fit, and they may be installed or removed by means of a tool designed to be attached to the pins by screw threads, for which purpose each pin 42 has a tapped aperture 43. The bifurcated parts of the lever are pivotally connected to the links by pins 45.

By rocking the lever the ram is reciprocated in the bushing. In open position, as shown in Fig. 4, the pin 40 connecting the lever and ram is positioned to the right of the pins 45, and is removed from the fulcrum pins 42 a distance greater than the distance between the centers of the pins 42 and 45. As the lever is rocked counter-clockwise, as shown in Fig. 5, the pin 40 necessarily moves in a straight line to the left, but the links swing into the position as shown. Upon further movement, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, the pin 40 lies between the pins 42 and 45. By this link structure a straight line movement of the ram is obtained without resorting to a sliding connection, such as a slot and pin connection. The lever is, in effect, mounted on a moving fulcrum which comprises the pins 45, and the fulcrum swings around the pins 42.

A punch member is shown in Fig. 9 having a body with a flange 5| substantially centrally positioned. One end of the die has a projecting part 52, at the base of which isa recess 53 and an intermediate portion 54. An enlarged part 55 has a shoulder 56 defining the end of the intermediate part 54. The opposite end of the punch has a projecting part 51 and an inclined or tapered part 58 between the en`d 51 and an intermediate portion 59.

A tube locating element is shown in Fig. 1G and it may comprise a cylinder of metal having a relatively small part 60 and a larger part 6|, thus providing a shoulder 52. The base of the tool and lever may have contacting projections 63 and 64 for limiting lever movement.

In use the proper dies are located in the base of the tool with a tube confined in .the facing grooves. The end of the tube should be in alignment with the end of the dies. To thus locate the tube the locating element may be positioned in the ram, as shown in Fig. 10, and the lever swung so that the tube is backed away until its end is ush with the forward end of the dies. This also positions the diesby forcing the die elements back against the shoulder 29- The tube is then clamped between the dies and the dies held in position by the clamping screw 5 and .block I0.

The lever may now be swung to open position, and the punch located, as shown in Fig. 4. The lever is now swung, as illustrated in Fig. 5, and first the end 52 of the punch enters the tube as shown. Upon further movement of the lever, as shown in Fig. 6, the tube is fashioned with a roll or bead formation 10, with the extreme end of the tube extending inwardly as at 1|. The end 52 of the punch acts as a pilot or mandrel to keep the tube from collapsing. At this time the part 54 of the punch enters the enlargements l1 of the dies and the tube is properly fashioned when .the shoulder 56 abuts against the dies. The shape of the bead or roll is determined by the shape of the die recess and the recess 53. The lever may now be swung to retract the ram and the punch reversed, as shown in Fig. 7. The lever is again swung to advance the ram, at which time the end 51 of the punch enters the tube and serves as a pilot or mandrel, and the bevel face 58 folds inwardly the extreme end 1| of the tube.

This forms a are with a double layer of metall as shown at 13. At this time the punch preferably does not abut against the dies, since it is desired to tightly compress the metal of the flare, as there is no need of limiting the movement of the ram in this manner.

This form of flare is especially useful on tubing which is made from strip steel stock fashioned into tubular form and sealed with metal which has been rendered molten. Such tube has become Widely known and used in the automotive 1 industry, and is termed Bundy tube. The steel tube, however, does not lend itself to an ordinary flare where the end of the tube is merely expanded, as the steel is not very ductile and the same is liable to split. the bead 10, the large part thereof where the metal is stretched or expanded the most is reinforced by the tube' body on one side, and by the extreme end 1| of the .tube on the other. Of course, this method of making a flare and the resultant flare structure may be used as well on tube of any kind and of any metal.

The mounting of the lever on a movable fulcrum which is effected by the link structure affords a. great lever advantage at the time when this advantage is particularly needed, without resorting to the use of an unduly long lever. The lever advantage is at its minimum when a line drawn to the centers of the pin 40 and pins 45 is substantially at a right angle to the ram. This will be appreciated by reference to Fig. 5. In this condition, with the ram horizontal, a line through the centers of pins 4G 45 would be vertical. Fig. 5 is laid out fairly accurately and demonstrates that the movement the ram, calculated from the center line-of pin is from point A to B as the center line of pins 45 shifts from the position shown to the center line of the ram indicated at C. The centers of pin 42 and pin 40 are in the same plane and substantially on .the center line of the ram. As the center line of pins 45 approach the point C the movement of the ram grows progressively less by a given movement of the lever. In fact, the movement of the ram becomes imperceptible as the center line of pins 45 arrives at the center line C, and a reverse action of the ram would be obtained if the pin centers passed over the center ram C. It will be seen, therefore, that this movement gives a tremendous leverage for the purpose of However, in fashioning Iarrivais squeezing the ilared metal parts tightly together, as shown in Fig. 7. It will be understood that the tool, especially so far as the die holding structure and lever mounting is concerned, may be used for making any kind of a are on atube or otherwise treating the end of a tube or other similar article, and that the tool to this extent is not limited to fashioning the double are as shown herein. i

, I claim:

' `1. In a tool substantially for the vpurpose del scribed, a base, a ram reciprocably mounted in the base, a link pivoted to the base, an operating lever, means pivotally connecting the operating lever and the ram, and means pivotally connecting the operating lever to the link and at a point on the lever removed from the pivotal connection between the lever and ram and forming a moving :fulcrum for the lever, the distance between the centers of the pivotal connections between the lever and the ram and the lever and the link, being less than the distance between the centers of the pivotal connections between the vlink and the base and the link and the lever.

2. In a tool for ilaring tube or the like. a base, a die comprising a pair of die members, each having a groove in one side for receiving a tube when in matched relation, said grooves each havlng an enlarged part at one end which cooperate, in matched relation, 'to forma die recess, said die members each having another groove of diierent size than the rst mentioned groove for receiving a tube of different size when in matched relation and each of the second named grooves having an enlarged` part at one end which, in matched relation, form a die recess.

3. In a tube daring tool, a base having a channel way, a die comprising separate Vdie members, each having a groove and said grooves adapted to receive a tube when in matched relation, a clamping screw threaded to the base, a clamping block in the channel way operably associated with the screw and for clamping the die members in the channel way by the action of the screw, said clamping block having end portions for engaging a die member at spaced points and with the center portion between the spaced points relieved. and said block having a pivotal action relative to the clamping screw. i

4. In a tube ilaring tool, a base having a chanmembers adaptedto be placed in the channel way andto receive a tube in the grooves when the saine are in matched relation, a clamping screw channel way and mounted upon the clamping screw and capable of pivotal movement with respect thereto, said clamping block having sux'- faoes which engage a die member at spaced points and on opposite sides of the clamping screw.

5. In a tube ilaring tool, a base, a die for receiving a tube, means for holding the die in operating position on the base, a ram mounted on the base and reciprocable toward and away from the die, and a double ended punch arranged to be carried by the ram having one end for performing an initial operation on the end of a tube in the die and another endfor performing a second operation on the end of the tube in the die to llare the tube, said punch having an intermediate enlargement for tting with the ram.

6. In a. tube flaring tool, a base, a die for receiving a tube, means for holding the die in operating position on the base, a ram mounted on the base and reciprocable toward and away from the die, said ram having a recess in its end adjacent the. die, and a double ended punch comprising a body with an intermediate collar, the body of the punch on either side of the collar adapted to be received in the recess of the ram, one end of the punch having a pilot adapted to enter the tube and serve as a mandrel, and the punch having an enlarged portion at the end of the pilot provided with a recess, said end of the punch adapted to perform an initial operation on the end of the tube, the opposite end of the punch'having` a tapered portion adapted to enter the die and compress the metal of the end of the tube against the die walls and cause flaring of the tube.

7. In a tube ilaring tool, a base. a die 4for receiving a tube, means for holding the die in operating position on the base, a ram mounted for reciprocable movement toward and away fromA the die, said ram 4having a recess in the end adjacent the die, a punch member having a body portion and an intermediate enlarged part. the bodyportions on opposite sides of the enlarged Y part adapted to.be slidably received in the recess in the ram, with the enlarged part abutting against the end of the ram. opposite ends of the punch member having working portions for performing dinerent operations on the end ofthe` lo -tubeinthe dieforaringthetube.

-noY J. Connie-An. 

